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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

My Little Adventure in Dallas, TX

Rest area entering Texas near Denison: everything is bigger in Texas!

I've been searching for a job for quite some time with a very little success. With my husband's graduation from medical residency program approaching, I switched my job search from this area to Seattle, where he is looking for a job as well. Two weeks ago, to my delight, I received an invitation for an interview. My interview was scheduled for Monday, my plane ticket was for Sunday from Dallas to Seattle, I left home on Saturday to make sure I made the morning plane on-time as we live 289 miles from the DFW airport. I felt confident with my plan. My first stop in Dallas was at Whole Foods, where I ate a whole salad section (I think): price you pay for living in a food desert. Then I went to the place I would spent the night before heading to the airport early in the morning, just a short 17 miles away. I woke up early Sunday morning, anticipating a short drive, boarding on a plane and four hours later embracing my daughter at the Seattle's airport. Blissfully unaware what that day had in mind for me, I put a big smile on my face, entered the airport address in my GPS Lola, and drove a few miles, inhaling a fresh crisp morning air and enjoying a beautiful view.

A few minutes later my Lola warned me to prepare to take exit, and my complete alert was on the road and on reading the road signs. When Lola finally commanded me to exit there was no exit to take! Such exit didn't exist anymore after a new road construction, and Lola in her never changing tone took me for a de-tour street after street to another highway, hopefully taking me to the airport. That road, being also under construction, had only one lane opened for traffic with concrete walls on each side almost the height of my little Corolla. The only visible things for me were cars ahead of me, beautiful blue sky above, and reflecting in a rare view mirror cars behind me. As soon as I entered that concrete corridor, my speed reduced to 10 miles in hour, and then to a complete stop. Skipping the dull details about the rest of my "getting-to-the-airport drama", and definite emotions of what supposed to be a beautiful morning, I got to the airport too late. I asked an airline agent for a seat on another plane, but all they were able to offer to me was a seat for the next morning (Monday) flight, for which I had to pay an extra $150 and miss the interview anyway.

After thinking my options through I decided to go back home. Another six hours drive I made in a complete silence. I was in a stage of denial of everything what happened to me up until the teenager opened the door on Sunday evening, when I got home, and asked: "Why are you here?" Then the husband came, asking: "Why didn't you take the Monday plane?" I gave one very short answer: "I missed my plane. There was an accident on a road, nothing I could do about it. Would you, please, just let me rest a little before we talk more about it?"I sent an e-mail to the HR, informing them that I missed the plane and won't be able to be in person for my interview, and then dropped on the couch in the living room, speechless and even thoughtless.Later that night, after a detailed conversations with my husband and philosophical exchange with my friend Lisa, I released from the drama with ease: if I can't change it, why to hold on to it and let negative emotions to control my life?!

Next morning, the Monday morning, the interview day morning, two hours before the actual interview time, I received a phone call from the HR department asking me if I wouldn't mind to have a phone interview. Mind?! Of course I didn't mind, I was thrilled, teasing my husband, that I made the wise decision to come home instead of flying on Monday: I would've been in flight and would've definitely missed this phone call and the phone interview later.

To me nothing in this whole ordeal is logical, I just know that things happen, and many times in our life those happenings are beyond our control. My friend Penny always tells me that things in our life happen for a reason. And my other friend Nancy has another favorite phrase: "What must be will be". And one of my own personal favorite: when one door closes, many other open to a new experience, just keep your head clutter free and think positive...

Oh, what a bummer! I used to live in Dallas, and traffic there can be awful. I've missed planes before - I used to travel a lot, and sometimes it just happens. Back when I traveled, though, planes were a lot less full because there was more competition - so getting another flight usually wasn't too hard. Unless one was in some little place where they fly only those little bitty planes, and the airport gets maybe 3 flights a day. I never missed one of those, but once the plane - the only one out for the remainder of the day - broke down, so I ended up spending another night. Anyway, good luck with the job search!

Woooow, what a story Marina. I'm glad that you were given this wonderful opportunity of a phone interview. I have to admit that I have never missed any train, plane whatsoever but I so agree with all the above ie. what must be will be and my favourite: "Not getting what you wanted is sometimes a great stroke of luck". I live my life always having this in my mind :-) I certainly believe that someone or something up or out there has some plans for everyone of us and we don't have much influence on this "force" you name it. I think that the biggest success it our lifes is to have plans, dreams and aspirations but also to have enough flexibility to acceptand cheris everything that life brings us :-)

I am so sorry you missed your flight and had to go through all this. For me I think everything that happens is a sequence of random things and they do not have a purpose. I think we try afterwards to give it a purpose so as not to be so frustrated. I also think that you made the right decision and left it behind you. Life's too short to spend it thinking and whining over things that didn't come as we planned!

Sorry, Marina, for what must have been a stress-filled and ultimately disappointing day. Everything worked out for the better, though, as it always seems to do. I've missed planes, a train or two, and even a boat once. I'm here today, though, and happy as ever, so, as traumatic as those experiences were at the time, they're but an anecdote in my life's story. Trying to keep that long-range view of things helps me to get through these "future anecdotes" when they occur.